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Timpson was born in Knutsford, Cheshire, in 1973.[2] His father, John, is the head of the Timpson chain of shoe repair and key-cutting shops, which has been in the family for five generations and has over 550 stores in the UK and Ireland. Timpson grew up with a brother, sister and over 80 children fostered by his parents.[3][4]

He was educated at Uppingham School before going on to Durham University (Hatfield College), where he studied politics before converting to law. He became a barrister in 1998. From 1999, he has practised in Chester as a family law barrister.[5] In June 2002, he married Julia Still in south Cheshire. Since then he has lived in Cheshire, 13 miles from Crewe, with his wife and three children (including a son born February 2004 and a daughter born November 2005). Timpson has completed six marathons, including the New York marathon in 2007 and the London Marathon in 2008, raising over £4,500.[6] Outside of politics Timpson is a fan of football, both watching and playing.

In July 2007, Timpson was selected as the Conservative candidate for the Crewe and Nantwich constituency,[7] an area which had been represented by veteran Labour MP Gwyneth Dunwoody since 1974. Following Dunwoody's death in April 2008, a by-election was called for May 2008. In the run up to the election, Timpson was the target of a "toff" campaign by Labour, trying to paint him as "a rich man" who wouldn't "understand the problems that people face day-to-day" in contrast to their candidate, Gwyneth Dunwoody's daughter Tamsin Dunwoody.[8] The Conservative campaign focused on local issues, such as crime and antisocial behaviour, closure of post offices and problems at Leighton Hospital, where two women in labour were turned away, as well as national issues - referring to Dunwoody as "Gordon Brown's candidate" and capitalising on dissatisfaction with the Labour Government, in particular the removal of the 10p tax rate.[9]

On 22 May 2008 Timpson was elected MP, gaining 20,539 votes (49% of the vote), a swing from Labour of 17.6%.[10][11] This was the first Conservative gain in a by-election since 1982. He made his maiden speech in the House of Commons on 16 June 2008.[12]

Timson was named "Minster of the Year" in 2014 for pushing through reforms increasing the age of leaving foster care from 18 to 21, an initiative he had originally championed as a backbench committee chair.[14] Timms credited his childhood experiences of living with a large family of fostered children.